Scream

Aero King

"I don't exactly know how you're involved in all of this, but I think it's time we work as a team for once in our lives," I say. 

Enzo crosses his arms and examines me like he always does. Like he always did. Before, he would look at me for weaknesses and see how many punches he could get before Mom noticed anything. Now, there's an amused expression on his face that makes me feel uneasy. Will he accept my proposition? 

Finally, he answers. "What kind of hell did you go through to come to me for help?" 

 Refraining from rolling my eyes, I grimace. "We don't know what kind of guy is playing these games, Enzo. I think with the sort of minds we have, we can figure this thing out." 

 "Who says I want to figure this out?" he challenges. Enzo; always looking for a challenge or an adrenaline simulation.

"Well..." I begin. "Your eyes. You've got the onsets of a to withdraw from whatever you used to take. Some part of you wants to get clean. Some part of you wants to do good."

 
 He looks agitated, but not at me; more at the fact that I'm right. His jaw feathers whenever someone hits a soft spot or a sensitive area. "Do you have a point, brother?" 

I sigh and swallow my 18-year old pride. "I don't want to hate you anymore, Enzo. I'm tired of this rivalry we have. You're my brother. I love you." 

 "By default," he softly says, mind elsewhere. He snaps back to the moment and he looks vicious. "It's easy to not hate me when you're the one in the spotlight, Aero. You get all the glory and I get all the guts."

"You could have glory, too," I coax. "You just don't try."

 "If you don't have to try, then why should I?" he shouts, snagging the attention of the nurses and lobbyists on this fifth floor. "It isn't fair," he huffs through gritted teeth. 

 I'm losing my brother with each word I say and all I want to do is get past our rocky history. We can't afford to hate each other's when there's a killer on the loose, willing to exploit anything and everything. "Life isn't fair, Enzo. You know that!" 

He scans me while I can see his brain processing my words. Enzo shakes his head of night hair. "If our relationship is the one thing you don't get, then I'll make sure you never get it." 

It hurts you just as much as it hurts me," I protest.

Enzo scoffs and rolls his amber eyes. "Does it, baby brother?"

Then the hum of all the hospital equipment ceases in time with all the lights. The emergency lights flick on, giving the halls an eerie look. Nurses rush to rooms where critical patients struggle to breathe without the support of their machines. "What did you do?" I ask Enzo.

"Maybe this isn't why we're even friends, Aero. You assume everything bad that happens is my fault," he retorts. "I had nothing to do with this." 

Enzo takes off to Makai's room. "Where are you going?" I shout, standing aimlessly in the hallway. 

 "Makai is my assignment, today," he explains. He must've been interviewing the guy. I wouldn't know – he's wearing a green shirt and straight jeans – not his uniform.

"I'll try to help around!" I call to him.

"I don't give a shit!" he calls back, darting into room 4512.

An all-call is made in the intercom. "What's a game without a goal?" an automated voice questions – the same one who calls me. "What's a murder without a cause?" Some of the nurses and workers come out of the rooms to better hear the speaker. "Rest assured, I have an explanation for all of this bemused chaos. Let's see if you can figure it out."

"I'm out of here!" someone shouts, sprinting to the stairs. 

 "The doors are locked," the voice continues. "And guarded by my finest men. If you don't find the clues I've laid out for you by first light tomorrow, you'll pay. Oh, and how could I forget about the twist?" it inquires. "Someone dies every hour. Happy hunting." 

I make a mad grab for my phone and go to unlock it to call for help. It's off. "Come on, "I grumble, hitting the power button. Still, it doesn't turn on. "Not again..." 

"My phone won't work!" someone down the hall exclaims, hopelessly holding their cell.

"Mine either," another man justifies.

I vault over the lobby counter and hold the SH phone to my ear. No dial tone. "The hospital phones are off, too," I notify. "We're trapped."